Southern California -- this just in

San Pedro landslide could worsen in storm

San Pedro residents and city engineers are keeping a wary eye on a crumbling cliff in San Pedro, which could slide more during this weekend's storm.

The land has shown no measurable movement in the months since a landslide Nov. 20, but engineers warn that anything could happen in the future.

As rain approaches, city officials said they are taking extra precautions.

"It still is unstable, yes, so that's why we're closing off the area, especially the walking trail," Los Angeles City Deputy Engineer Vincent Jones said. "Then after it rains we can go out and inspect it to see what has happened and what has been affected by the rains."

No homes are in immediate danger.

"I think we feel like we're going to be OK," June Burlingame Smith of the Coastal Neighborhood Committee said. "It seems to be isolated, but still, that's always in the back of people's minds."

Even after the rain passes, efforts to clean up debris from November's slide -- including county pipes, trees and chunks of road -- will likely have to wait.

"There might be a point when [the bluff] hasn't moved in six months or a year when it might be safe to go in and clean it up," Jones told the Daily Breeze.

A final draft of an extensive engineering survey conducted over the past several months is expected in April.

Last year, officials initially thought they were dealing with a sinkhole, but then the city realized a major landslide was in progress. It forced the closure of a 900-foot stretch of Paseo del Mar between Weymouth and Western avenues in September. At the beginning of November, the road was moving at a daily rate of less than half an inch.

Heavy rain exacerbated the slow-moving slide, and the roadway broke into pieces that crumbled into gaping holes, while other sections fell into the ocean below.